Also tonight, the state is pushing back on the U.S.

Department of Justice announcement that they'll send federal election monitors to polling sites in Passaic County on Election Day.

Attorney General Matt Plotkin in a statement called the move "highly inappropriate" and said the DOJ hasn't identified a legitimate basis for its actions.

Plotkin's office also sent a letter to county boards of elections, according to NJ Globe, reminding them they're not obligated to give the Justice Department access to polling sites.

The decision by the federal government comes after Republicans from Passaic County requested monitors for mail-in voting operations there, citing a history of ballot fraud cases in Patterson.

Passaic County has also become a battleground after Republicans made gains there in 2024, though the DOJ didn't provide a reason for their decision.

Senator Andy Kim is calling the move an attempt to quote intimidate voters and cast doubt on our legitimate and secure democratic process.

Leaders in Passaic County say they're aware of the plans and will cooperate and also noted they're cooperating with a separate request from the DOJ to observe the transfer of vote by mail ballots from a secure storage area along with counting of the ballots, setting up more tension between the state and federal government over election security.